AMA Releases Detailed Summary of 2021 CMS Proposed Fee Schedule
On August 4, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule for the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program. Comments are due to CMS no later than October 5, 2020. The American Medical Association (AMA) has provided a new, more complete summary of the proposed rule, which you can click here to view in its entirety.
Among other concerns, the proposed rule seeks an almost 11% reduction from the CY 2020 Medicare conversion factor, and a 10% reduction in the anesthesia conversion factor.
Any individuals wishing to provide comments before the October 5, 2020 deadline can do so by clicking here.
City of Phoenix Deploys COVID-19 Testing Van to Underserved Neighborhoods
Phoenix is partnering with Vincere Cancer Center to offer free COVID-19 testing to city residents in traditionally underserved communities. Testing is being conducted out of a mobile van—the first of its kind in Arizona. Vincere trains its medical staff to provide both viral and antibody tests for the virus. The more common viral tests take several days to return results while antibody tests typically present results within a quick 15 minutes.
The van began operations on Tuesday parked inside the U-Haul parking lot located near Central Avenue and Thomas Road. Testing hours are from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., five days a week, except for Wednesdays and Sundays.
Vincere Cancer Center’s Dr. Vershalee Shukla says that a peripheral focus of the van’s operations will be to support Phoenix small businesses. She says the van plans on parking itself in the parking lots of small businesses throughout the city in the next few weeks.
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Doctors Are Suiting up to Register Voters Nationwide for Civic Health Month
Physicians and medical students from Arizona to Virginia are preparing for a massive push to register voters in time for Election Day as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on America’s healthcare infrastructure. Hospitals, doctors, and other institutions across the country are committing to efforts to engage American voters in the election process as a part of Civic Health Month, a nationwide campaign that kicked off Saturday, August 1.
Hospital networks in Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and elsewhere are among more than 60 institutions participating, along with thousands of individual physicians.
An emergency room doctor in Boston is assembling thousands of voter registration kits for distribution at hospitals and doctor’s offices. Medical students at the University of North Carolina recently bested their counterparts at Duke in a three-day contest that resulted in more than 500 total new voter registrations and requests for mail ballots. Later this month, students at Harvard and Yale’s medical schools are planning a contest to see which of the Ivy League rivals can register the most voters.
Click here for more on this story.
TIME TO VOTE: Election Day Is Around the Corner!
Voting is the most important part of the political process, and Tuesday, August 4, is Election Day. If you haven’t already, PLEASE VOTE. The stakes have never been higher than they are now. The pandemic will place healthcare issues front and center in the upcoming legislative session, and the right legislators can make the difference between helping your practice or harming it. Please click here to view a list of the candidates endorsed by ArMPAC.
Also, for those who live in LD15 or know someone who does, click here to watch a video made by ArMPAC in support of Senator Heather Carter, who is in the midst of a tough primary race. A victory for her is a victory for Arizona physicians — Senator Carter has been a long-time ArMA champion, and her continued leadership is needed more than ever. Please spread the word and support her campaign!
Thank you for doing your part on Election Day to protect the House of Medicine.
Arizona Medical Political Action Committee Announces 2020 Endorsements
July 22, 2020 (Phoenix) – The Arizona Medical Political Action Committee (ArMPAC) is pleased to announce its 2020 candidate endorsements for Arizona’s State House of Representatives and Senate. Comprised of physicians across Arizona and led by an 18-member Board of Directors, ArMPAC is a nonpartisan political action committee that supports candidates for office who understand the challenges physicians face today.
“These candidates were thoroughly vetted by our diverse board and we are excited about their promising impact on the direction and changes needed for Arizona’s healthcare,” stated Gary Figge, MD, ArMPAC Board Chair. “Arizona’s physicians care deeply about the effect healthcare policy has on the ability to treat their patients, and this concern is reflected in these outstanding endorsements.”
Incumbent Endorsements Include:
Arizona House of Representatives
- Rep. Daniel Hernandez — LD2
- Rep. Alma Hernandez — LD3
- Rep. Regina Cobb — LD5
- Rep. Thomas “T. J.” Shope — LD8
- Rep. Randall “Randy” Friese, MD — LD9
- Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley — LD9
- Rep. Joanne Osborne — LD13
- Rep. Jeff Weninger — LD17
- Rep. Diego Espinoza — LD19
- Rep. Lorenzo Sierra — LD19
- Rep. John Kavanagh — LD23
- Rep. Amish Shah, MD — LD24
- Rep. Speaker Russell “Rusty” Bowers — LD25
- Rep. Michelle Udall — LD25
- Rep. Kelli Butler — LD28
- Rep. Aaron Lieberman — LD28
Arizona Senate
- Sen. President Karen Fann — LD1
- Sen. Victoria Steele — LD9
- Sen. Vince Leach — LD11
- Sen. Warren Petersen — LD12
- Sen. Sine Kerr — LD13
- Sen. Heather Carter — LD15
- Sen. Sean Bowie — LD18
- Sen. Rick Gray — LD21
- Sen. Tyler Pace — LD25
- Sen. Kate Brophy McGee — LD28
New Candidate Endorsements Include:
Arizona House of Representatives
- Coral Evans — LD6
- Felipe Perez, MD — LD11
- Jarret Hamstreet — LD15
- Lisa Godzich — LD16
- Kathy Knecht — LD21
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About Arizona Medical Political Action Committee
The Arizona Medical Association Political Action Committee (ArMPAC) is the nonpartisan PAC for the Arizona Medical Association, the largest organization in the state representing the interests of physicians. ArMPAC endorses candidates who support Arizona physicians and the patients they care for and is committed to the highest quality of healthcare for all Arizonans. For more information, visit www.ArMPAC.org and follow ArMPAC on Facebook and Twitter.
PPP Extension Act Moves Loan Application Deadline to August 8
On Saturday, President Trump signed the PPP Extension Act into law—extending the application deadline for loans offered through the Paycheck Protection Program to August 8. The program allows small businesses negatively impacted by the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 to request financial assistance directly from the federal government. The original deadline to apply for PPP loans was the night of June 30, but $130 billion still remained out of the $660 billion that had been initially allocated to the fund. Both houses of Congress unanimously approved the extension earlier in the week.
Businesses can use PPP loans for the purpose of payroll, rent, and other vital costs to keep afloat. These federal loans can be forgiven if businesses use at least 60% of the funds on payroll. About $520 billion in loans to almost 5 million small businesses have been distributed since the inception of the program. Controversy erupted last month when it was discovered that several multimillion-dollar corporations had received the maximum of $10 million in loans.
Click here for more.
Medicare Will Now Cover COVID-19 Testing for Nursing Home Residents
Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) instructed Medicare Administrative Contactors and notified Medicare Advantage plans to cover COVID-19 diagnostic laboratory tests for nursing home residents and patients. This news comes on the heels of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent update of COVID-19 testing guidelines for nursing homes that provides recommendations for testing residents and patients with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, as well as for asymptomatic individuals who have been exposed to the virus. Additionally, original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans will cover COVID-19 lab tests consistent with CDC guidelines.
Medicare Advantage plans must also continue to not charge for cost-sharing (including deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance) or apply prior authorization or other utilization management requirements for COVID-19 tests and testing-related services. You can read more about how this news will affect Medicare Advantage plans here.
Click here for more information about Medicare coverage for COVID-19 testing.
URGENT: HHS to Host Webcasts for Physicians on the Application Process for New $15 Billion Relief Fund Money
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched an application portal to distribute $15 billion in CARES Act Provider Relief Fund payments to eligible Medicaid and CHIP physicians & organizations. The payment will be at least two percent of reported gross revenue from patient care, and the final amount will be determined based on submitted data, including the number of Medicaid patients served. Eligible physicians have until July 20, 2020, to submit their application and report other necessary information, such as annual patient revenue data.
Two common questions related to the Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal are…
Why is there a new Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal?
The Portal will initially be used for new submissions from Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers seeking payments under the Provider Relief Fund starting Wednesday, June 10, 2020. At this time, this portal will serve as the point of entry for providers who have received Medicaid and CHIP payments in 2017, 2018, 2019, or 2020 and who have not already received any payments from the $50 billion Provider Relief Fund General Distribution.
What is the difference between the first Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal and the Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal for the Medicaid Targeted Distribution?
The first Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal was used for physicians who received a General Distribution payment prior to Friday, April 24th. These physicians were required to submit financial information in order to receive approximately 2% of gross revenues derived from patient care. HHS has developed the new Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal for physicians who did not receive payments under the previous General Distribution, including those physicians who bill Medicaid and CHIP (e.g., pediatricians, long-term care, and behavioral health professionals.)
Upcoming HHS Webcasts
HHS is hosting two webcasts at 2:00 p.m. EST—one set for tomorrow on Tuesday, June 23, and a final webcast on Thursday, June 25—for physicians and other health care professionals who are interested in learning more about the application process. Registration is required! Click on the dates above to be taken to the respective registration pages. More information can also be found on the Provider Relief Fund website.
Governor Ducey Announces Local Officials Can Mandate Face Coverings
On Wednesday afternoon, Governor Ducey announced that Arizona’s mayors are free to mandate face coverings in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The decision, effective immediately, applies to local officials across the state. Previously, the governor was hesitant to allow mayors to enforce such a mandate not in line with statewide policy.
Wednesday’s announcement comes after growing calls from leaders within the healthcare community for the state to take more aggressive action against the virus. Roughly 10,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported by the Arizona Department of Health Services in the last week. Tuesday alone saw a record increase of 2,392 new cases.
In the hours following Governor Ducey’s announcement, the mayors of Phoenix, Tucson, and several other cities said that mandatory face-covering policies were already being considered.
Click here to read more.
Senator Carter Wins Endorsements from Governor Brewer, Greater Phoenix Chamber
Last week, Senator Heather Carter scored two major endorsements from former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.
“Senator Heather Carter is one of the most fearless lawmakers when it comes to the pursuit of doing what’s best for Arizona,” the former governor said in a statement. “She is a stalwart defender of good governance which has resulted in balanced state budgets, $1 billion rainy-day fund, and reinvestment in critical state programs that benefit children and the most vulnerable.”
Arizona’s physician and patient communities need a champion like Senator Carter in office now more than ever. Visit voteheathercarter.com to help the cause and click here to read the full news release on Governor Brewer’s endorsement.